Constantine's Sword (2007)
Storyville Films

Description

Constantine's Sword is an astonishing exploration of the dark side of Christianity, following acclaimed author and former priest James Carrol on a journey of rememberance and reckoning. Warning of what happens when military power and religious fervor are joined, this new film from Oscar-nominated director Oren Jacoby asks: Is the fanaticism that threatens the world today fueled by our own deeply held beliefs?

Collected reviews and ratings

10 DVD Verdict | William Lee

Director Oren Jacoby shapes this documentary like a detective story so that every answered question leads to more questions until the big picture is revealed. It is a riveting history lesson that charts Christianity from its origin through many of its controversies.
Read full review (DVD)

9.2 Entertainment Weekly | Owen Gleiberman

It sounds as dutiful as can be: a documentary tracing the legacy of anti-Semitism within the church. Yet the fascination of this inquiring movie, based on the book by former leftist priest James Carroll, is that, like The Da Vinci Code, Constantine's Sword grasps at the enigmatic flux of Christian history.
Read full review (Cinema)

8.0 DVD Talk | Chris Neilson

... Constantine's Sword is engrossing, and will likley prompt many viewers to explore these issues in greater depth, and that's all makers of a documentary like this can reasonably hope for.
Read full review (DVD)

7.0 Amazon user reviews

The movie can be faulted for its disparagement of Scripture, but it remains a powerful testimony to the experiences of those who have been cut by Constantine's sword.
Read full review (DVD)

6.0 filmcritic.com | Chris Barsanti

It's clear that Carroll and Jacoby wanted, with the strong current link between the American military and evangelism, to present a modern-day corollary to the Catholic Church of earlier centuries, where church leaders lent spiritual blessings to dubious military ventures and religious intolerance. But it feels thinly argued, a poor comparison to the bulk of this excellently thoughtful and personal film.
Read full review (Cinema)

6.0 Boxoffice Magazine | John P. McCarthy

Constantine’s Sword is selective in its particulars and in pointing the finger exclusively at Christian and Catholic violent extremism. Yet Carroll is sincere about wanting to make religion a constructive force in the world and in warning about its lamentable and terrifying potential.
Read full review (Cinema)

3.8 New York Post | V.A. Musetto

The movie raises important issues, but it provides few answers as it moves along in uninspired, talking-heads fashion.
Read full review (Cinema)